Multiple variations of the abdominal aorta in a single cadaver.

Numerous variations of the abdominal aorta were observed during a routine dissection of the abdominal region in a 60-year-old male cadaver in the Department of Anatomy, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Turkey. In the present case, a common inferior phrenic trunk arose from the abdominal aorta and then divided into two branches. The left gastric artery arose from the front of the abdominal aorta, with an accessory right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery. Although the single right renal artery originated from the abdominal aorta, double left renal arteries were found to originate from the abdominal aorta. Knowledge of these variations could help surgeons to identify and protect the abdominal aorta during surgery.